SU hopes to avoid offensive shootout

Photo: SU Del Roberts, 5-9/190 Jr., WR/PR, North Florida Christian H.S., Tallahassee, FL

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

The temptation, with the way Alabama A&M has been scoring this season, is to think No. 25 Southern may need to start chasing points as soon as the ball is kicked off.

The homecoming game between SU and defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champ Alabama A&M at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at A.W. Mumford Stadium will feature the SWAC’s top two offenses.

But A&M’s offense, remolded this season into a big-play machine, has been the better, statistically, so far this season.

A&M (4-1, 3-0 SWAC) is averaging 443.6 yards and 37.8 points per game and is led by a senior quarterback in Kelcy Luke, a former Auburn transfer who has started since 2004.

Southern (5-0, 3-0) is averaging 408.4 ypg and 26.0 ppg and is led by a sophomore quarterback in Bryant Lee, who is a solid 6-1 as a starter but that’s just seven starts.

“It’s important any time you can move the ball and score,” SU coach Pete Richardson said. “But what we don’t want to do is get out of our element. We understand what we’re trying to do offensively. We’re going to play for 60 minutes, and there are going to be times when it’s not going to look very good.

“What we have to guard against, especially at quarterback, he’s still learning. He has to play within the confines of what we’re trying to do offensively.”

Southern has scored just 12 points, on two touchdowns, in the first quarter in five games this season. One of those scores was Darren Coates’ 90-yard run on the Jaguars’ first offensive play of the season.

A&M, in contrast, has put up 52 points in the first quarter (with 58 in the third and another 52 in the fourth).

“Whatever the game brings to us, we’re going to be ready,” SU wide receiver Gerard Landry said.

Both offenses, of course, won’t play each other at the same time.

“They’re a real good offensive team, but our defense is strong,” Lee said. “They’ve won a lot of games for us. We just have to work as a team and get the job done.”

So far, SU’s defense has helped out its offense and vice versa.

With the offense struggling, the defense allowed one touchdown (in a 23-6 win over Mississippi Valley State) and none against Prairie View (a 12-2 win) and Alabama State (a 21-2 win).

And in two games in which SU’s defense got burnt for long touchdowns and the Jaguars trailed in the second quarter, the offense came alive — a 33-27 win over Florida A&M and a 41-34 win over Tennessee State.

“We know the defense is going to hold its own,” Landry said.
Important Grambling film

Alabama A&M put up at least 41 points in four of its five games. But the Bulldogs lost 31-6 at Grambling.

That made going over the Grambling film pretty important.
“I looked at the film, and really they didn’t do anything special,” Richardson said. “They just lined up and made them play basic football. They didn’t give up any big plays, made them drive the length of the field and put a lot of pressure on them up front. And kept the quarterback contained.

“I don’t think they did a lot of blitzing. They just sat back and put the pressure up front with four down linemen, did a few line stunts. When they caught the ball, they made them pay for it.”

After the win, both Grambling head coach Rod Broadway and defensive coordinator Cliff Yoshida stressed the importance of keeping A&M quarterback Kelcy Luke contained. Luke was 14-for-26 for 117 yards, and he was sacked three times.

Baseball alumni game
The SU baseball team will stage an alumni game — pitting former players against current ones — at 6 p.m. Friday at Lee-Hines Stadium.


There is no cost to attend.
Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks likely will be there, but will not play, SU coach Roger Cador said.

This will be the third time since 2004 that the team has had this game.

According to assistant coach Fernando Puebla, some of the alumni expected to play are pitcher Jason Anderson, pitcher Corey Poret, outfielder Robert Primus, catcher Joey Mouton, outfielder Andre Gordon, catcher Brandon Mason and first baseman Kevin Nelson.

Notes
SU is ranked third and A&M sixth in the Sheridan Broadcasting Network poll of black college teams. Richardson named RB Darren Coates and SS Glenn Bell as his offensive and defensive players of the week from the win over Alabama State. Richardson said RB Kendrick Smith (strained Achilles’ tendon) could be out “a while yet.” Smith missed the ASU game.